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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 06-07-1993 - II-B Smart Start North Carolina Early Childhood Initiative Governor Jim Hunt has proposed a comprehensive initiative designed to provide every child in North Carolina access to affordable, quality early childhood education and other crucial services. Called Smart Start, the initiative targets children from birth to five years old to ensure they come to school healthy and ready to learn. The Challenge North Carolina is failing its children. Our state ranks 39th in the nation—among the 12 worst states—on the health and well-being of children, according to the national Kids Count Data Book. Every day in North Carolina three babies die, 67 children are abused or neglected, 45 families are started by teens and 38 teenagers drop out of high school, according to the N.C. Child Advocacy Institute's 1993 Children's Index. Juvenile crime is on the rise, with North Carolina's 6.9 percent increase being more than twice the national increase of 3.4 percent. Nearly 20 percent of North Carolina children under age five live in poverty, the highest rate of poverty for any segment of our population. Eighty percent of the inmates in our prisons today grew up in poverty. More than 65 percent of North Carolina mothers with children under the age of six work outside the home. That's one of the highest percentages of working mothers in the United States. The number-one concern of young families today is quality child care. Current services for children and families are fragmented and often fail to help families take control of their lives. What Works The most important thing we can do for North Carolina's long-term economic development is to help children get the best start in life. A world-class work force requires world-class skills which, in turn, require children to come to school ready to learn. Extensive studies, including a 15-year study by the nationally acclaimed Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, have proven that early childhood education works. The Frank Porter Graham study found that even at age 15, you still can see substantial, meaningful differences in achievement resulting from quality day care at an early age. High-quality early childhood education is the single-most cost-effective way to ensure our future economic development and prosperity. Every dollar spent now on early childhood education will save more than $7 down the road in remedial education, welfare, prisons and crime. ✓ North Carolina Partnership for Children ($600,000 in 1993-'94, $600,000 in 1994-'95) The Governor's initiative would establish a nonprofit public-private partnership to create a vision for the quality of life of children in North Carolina and to map out a comprehensive blueprint for improving early childhood education, health care, and other crucial services. The partnership would bring together North Carolina leaders—from business, government, education, churches, nonprofits, communities and children and family advocacy groups—outside the framework of government to develop a collaborative strategy to serve children and families. It would be a catalyst for bold change in communities through local, nonprofit public-private partnerships. The partnership would: D create a statewide vision for children. D map out a comprehensive blueprint of services for children. develop benchmarks for specific, measurable performance. • seek applications from interested counties to serve as demonstration partnerships. D showcase existing programs that promote collaboration and quality of services. • mobilize public support for change. a recommend 12 initial partnerships from among the applications (one in each Congressional district) based on recommendations from a panel of early childhood experts. An additional eight partnerships would be recommended beginning 1994-'95. The remaining 80 counties would be phased in over the next few years. - monitor and hold local partnerships accountable for quality services. a report to the General Assembly in April 1994 and March 1995 on the progress of the initiative and recommend a process for future expansion statewide. ✓ Local Partnerships for Children ($19.4 million in 1993-'94, $39.4 million in 1994-'95) Local partnerships would receive funds to develop comprehensive early childhood programs tailored to the individual needs and resources of their communities. The bulk of the money provided to local partnerships would go toward direct services to children and families: funding child development services: developmentally appropriate child care services, parenting education programs, home visits to help families, start-up funding to meet building code and licensing standards, quality enhancement of existing services, technical assistance, technology-based and other innovative educational enrichment efforts. ➢ raising the subsidy rate received by child care centers to a statewide "market rate" that more closely reflects actual cost of quality services. > expanding eligibility for subsidies to reach more families. The income ceiling for eligibility would be raised from its current level of$18,000. Local efforts would be tied to quality and accountability. An evaluation system would be developed to assure quality and performance. Local commitment and involvement, both financially and strategically, would be required. Each county would bring public and private interests together to develop a plan for all children who need services, using both existing resources and new resources. 3 Immediate early childhood measures to benefit children in all counties 1993-'94 1994-'95 Lower child care staff/child ratios for infants&toddlers $2.8 million $2.8 million Raise eligibility standards for families receiving child $1.8 million $1.8 million care subsidies to reach more families Expand staff who monitor&provide assistance to child $328,300 $704,000 care centers and homes Offer financial incentives for child care providers to meet $1.4 million $1.4 million higher quality AA standards Increase amount of child care tax credit that can be $3.7 million* $4 million* claimed by families earning less than$40,000 Help child care teachers improve skills&knowledge $1 million $1 million through tuition/stipends(Teacher Education& Compensation Helps—TEACH) Ensure that all children are fully immunized $5 million $10.9 million Provide matching funds for federal At-Risk Child Care $126,000 $186,200 Grant Subtotal $16.1 million $22.8 million * Estimated revenue loss N.C. Partnership for Children/Local Partnerships for Children 1993-'94 1994-'95 Direct Services $12.9 million $33.8 million 12 counties $11.1 million $22.2 million 8 counties 0 $9.9 million One-time start-up costs $1.2 million 0 County administration for direct services $600,000 $1.7 million N.C.Partnership for Children $600,000 $600,000 (staff&operational expenses) Local Partnerships for Children $1.9 million $2 million (staff&operational expenses) 12 counties $1.2 million $1.2 million 8 counties 0 $800,000 Strategic planning process $720,000 0 Quality &Accountability $4.6 million $3.6 million Evaluation system $660,000 $300,000 Resource&referral services $150,000 $500,000 State administration* $500,000 $500,000 5 Attachment 1 Examples of subsidy impact in local demonstration partnerships Providing half-day developmental child care program to poor children not now being served Family of 4: single, unemployed parent One preschool-aged child Minimal annual income Child care subsidy: $140 per month or$1,260 for nine-month period Parent financial contribution: Minimal (less than $15 per month) ➢ Increasing the payment rate for poor children already receiving subsidy Family of 4: single parent One preschool-aged child, two school-aged children Annual income: $15,000 Monthly expense for quality child care: $365 Parent financial contribution: $85 per month; $1,020 annually Typical current child care subsidy payment (depending on county rate): $180 per month; $2,160 annually New child care subsidy payment(new state market rate): $280 per month; $3,360 annually Annual subsidy increase for quality care: $1,200 ➢ Raising the family income eligibility level for subsidies Family of 4: two parents One preschool-aged child Annual income: $21,000 Monthly child care expense: $365 Parent financial contribution: $185 per month; $1,665 for nine-month period New child care subsidy payment: $180 per month; $1,620 for nine-month period* * Not currently eligible for subsidy 7 Attachment 3 Business Recreation Community Representatives Department Colleges Library Nonprofits Mental Health Department C •mmunity BRINGING Foundations Family Literacy rganizatlon Churches Private Child Care Provider EVERYONE Health Departmen City-County Government Housing Authority TO THE TABLE Civic Group Schools JTPA Department o Family Cooperative Social Services Representatives Extension 4H Head Start 9 A Vision for Young Children and Their Families in Orange County In order to insure that all young children and their families have the services they need to grow to their potential, we must accomplish the following goals: 1. Improve child care services Develop a mechanism so that teachers receive reasonable salaries and benefits Reduce turnover of child care teachers, directors and family day care home providers Improve the teacher/child ratios in child care settings Improve the education and training of teachers working with young children Offer comprehensive services to families through their child care program Raise the quality of child care programs (increase the number with national accreditation) Improve the monitoring of child care programs to assure quality 2. Increase access to health services for young children and their families Insure that young children have the preventive, maintenance and acute health care they need Insure that all young children have all the immunizations they need Insure that all women have appropriate prenatal care 3. Develop and enhance family support and education services Provide sex education and contraception services to teens Provide parent education information in schools and child care programs, as well as other agencies Give parents adequate information on community services and options for their families Provide family support services to families in crisis because of drug addiction, homelessness, etc. Integrate fathers and mothers into all service delivery models for young children Develop and enhance family-mentor programs to help young families grow and develop 4. Improve and enhance mental health and early intervention services for young children and their families Insure than adequate services exist in the community to serve young children with disabilities Develop and enhance services that support the mental health of young children and their families 5. Provide economic support programs for low income families Insure that all young children have access to a basic family income and adequate support Provide adequate subsidies for child care, housing, food and medical care so that no child is denied help Insure that subsidies reflect the high cost of services (such as child care and housing) in this county Help adequately sustain families where a parent wants to stay home with their young child(ren) 6. Insure that all young children are safe from violence 7. Improve the delivery of human services for young children and their families Involve the entire community--parents, business, private and public agencies--in the vision Facilitate better communication/coordination between all agencies serving young children & families Provide a wide variety of services in homes, neighborhoods and communities rather than agencies View families with young children as the unit of service Involve parents in setting policies and implementing the vision Insure that all services are provided with dignity to families, recognizing the diversity of our community Use child care programs as the hub for services to families Involve human service providers in setting policies and implementing the vision Insure that all families with young children have access to transportation to needed services Integrate early childhood and early intervention services Provide more preventive services Evaluate the effectiveness of programs in meeting the needs of young children and their families 8. Educate and enlighten the community about the value of early services for children Increase community knowledge of the importance of prenatal and early childhood years Encourage the valuing of young children in our community Encourage the valuing of teachers and human services professionals who work with young children and their families Encourage community elevation of the role child care programs as educational institutions Reorient public opinion to support investment in children from birth to five as cost effective & humane 9. Insure adequate financial and human services resources to support the vision